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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARcH 1, 2019
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
JIM VAN NOSTRAND
Editor
Founded in 1873
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circulation Manager
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Production Manager
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PRO-CON
Was Notre Dame right to shield
Columbus paintings from student eyes?
Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune
A student walks by a mural of Christopher Columbus at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
PRO: Telling truth about
Columbus helps us navigate
today’s progressive waters
T
AMPA, Fla. — Millions upon
although it’s a fair point that their deaths
millions of Americans grew up
were caused mainly because they had
believing that the reasons Chris-
no immunity to the old world diseases
topher Columbus became the first Euro-
transmitted by the Europeans.
pean explorer to cross the Atlantic were
When one considers the disdain and
pretty much inherent — that he was
viciousness that Columbus and other
extremely intelligent, boldly courageous European explorers displayed toward the
and uncommonly persevering.
original inhabitants of North and South
Now the forces of political correct-
America, Jenkins and others are surely
ness are insisting it’s high time that
right in demanding our students be
the crueler side of Columbus be prom-
taught the whole story, even if it means
inently displayed throughout our edu-
shrouding paintings that have historical
cational system — from expensive
significance.
preschool courses through K-12 and
While the actions of the early explor-
even in our elite private and public
ers
are deplorable by today’s loftier
universities.
standards, it’s well to remem-
Their demands are being met
ber
that similar British tactics
widely, even at the highest level.
against
hapless natives were
Ivy League leaders Yale, Har-
common through the end of the
vard and Princeton, among oth-
19th century.
ers, have gone out of their way
The British, who once liked
to emphasize to their students
to
consider
the Victorian era as
that Columbus treated the natives
a
showcase
of high morality,
he encountered in the Caribbean
Wayne
and South America as backward
now are beginning to see that
Madsen
savages.
their much-touted conquests of
Foremost among their claims
Africa and India are shameful at
is that the Genoan native enslaved, tor-
best and utterly despicable at worst.
tured and slaughtered the Arawaks
One should never forget the underly-
and their companion tribes when they
ing racism exposed by Kipling’s poetry
refused to be subjugated and bend their
in “Gunga Din” and “The Road to Man-
knees to the Catholic faith.
dalay.” And especially not, the last line
The University of Notre Dame, argu-
of Kurtz in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of
ably the nation’s finest Catholic school
Darkness” as he considers the shame
of higher education, gave further public- of Belgium’s colonization of the
ity to the progressives’ claims recently
natives of the Congo: “The horror, the
when it publicly announced a decision
horror.”
to cover a dozen historic murals depict-
No American should discount courses
ing Christopher Columbus as a kindly
that
accurately inform us about own her-
friend of native races.
itage by the derogatory term “political
Father John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s
correctness.”
president, noted the paintings, which
After all, the more we know about
were painted inside the university’s
the
shortcomings of our own historical
Main Administration Building from
heroes,
the better chance we have of sur-
1882 to 1884, “hide from view the
vival in a rapidly changing world.
darker side of this story.”
Wayne Madsen is a journalist whose
There can be little doubt the Arawaks
opinion pieces have appeared in Euro-
were virtually wiped out by their
encounter with Columbus and his crew,
pean and American newspapers.
CON: Covering up paintings
of Columbus imprisons history
A
SHLAND, Ohio — The Univer-
Will they allow mention of Columbus’
seamanship, courage and religious zeal? Will
sity of Notre Dame plans to cover
murals depicting Columbus as benev- they allow mention of the Spanish mission-
olent toward Native Americans because they
aries and officials who tried to protect the
offend some people. Is this a silly example
Native Americans? In brief, will we get any-
thing like the complex truth of the events the
of political correctness? Yes, and it’s harm-
ful too.
murals depict?
A Christian school should be concerned
Notre Dame’s president, Reverend John
not to offend others, of course. But to para-
I. Jenkins, suggested that the murals falsely
phrase Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of
portrayed Columbus because they reflected
academics and universities, there is some-
“the attitudes of the time” when they were
thing more important than not offending oth- painted in the early 1880s.
ers, and that’s honoring the truth. If we do not
It would have been better, of course, if
honor the truth above all, then we build on
Father Jenkins’ predecessor at that time had
falsehood, and nothing good, not even endur- questioned those attitudes. And it would have
ing concern for others, will come of that.
been better if Father Jenkins had questioned
It is true that in failing to depict the whole the attitude of his time — political correct-
ness — that led to the murals being hidden
truth about Columbus the murals themselves
away, rather than giving in to it. Giving in to
help hide the truth. But how does hiding the
those who want only certain opin-
murals uncover the truth?
ions expressed publicly is dangerous.
If truth is the objective, as it
Over the past years, surveys have
should be, especially at a university,
found declining support on U.S. col-
would it not be better to leave the
lege campuses for free speech, if it
murals where they have been for over
offends someone. Father Jenkins’
100 years and hold a debate each
decision only encourages this baleful
Columbus Day over the legacy of
David
trend — and beyond Notre Dame as
Columbus and what he stands for?
Tucker
well. It would have been much better
Instead of free and open debate,
if he had stood against it.
Notre Dame plans to create a perma-
nent, less public display, where rep-
He should have followed the cou-
licas of the offending murals may receive
rageous example of President Harry Truman.
“informed and careful consideration.”
At the height of the anti-communist fear
Can “informed” and “careful” mean
that swept America in the early 1950s, Tru-
man vetoed a new security law.
anything but managed and censored
Truman acknowledged the danger posed
consideration?
by Soviet espionage and subversion, but
Certainly, those offended by the murals
wrote in his veto message that “we would
will insist on determining who is “informed”
betray our finest traditions if we attempted,
and “careful” enough to talk about them.
as this bill would attempt, to curb the simple
Having given in to them before, will the uni-
versity fight them over this?
expression of opinion.
And when the university backs down
This we should never do, no matter how
again, will the offended allow anyone to
distasteful the opinion may be to the vast
mention the slavery and human sacrifice car-
majority of our people.”
ried out by Native Americans before Colum-
Truman agreed with the great Italian phi-
bus arrived?
losopher and friar Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Will they allow mention of the land seized Truth is more important than not offending.
violently by Native Americans from other
And when Harry Truman and Thomas Aqui-
nas agree on something, we should follow
Native Americans, again before Colum-
bus arrived? Will they allow mention of
their advice.
David Tucker is the director of teacher
the Native Americans who cooperated
programs at the Ashbrook center at Ashland
with the Spanish to subjugate other Native
University in Ohio.
Americans?